A celebration of cooking, beer, and the novel pairing of the two.

Team Hopflower

Vanessa Bolden studied Art History at UC Davis, but her true passion is food. Her focus is on high quality, whole foods, where they come from and how they grow. Her talents lie in taking these beautiful, natural ingredients from terra to table through the art and science of cooking. She is committed to local, organic, and sustainable fare, sourcing her produce from farmers’ markets, local distributors such as San Diego’s Specialty Produce, and even her own patio garden. Vanessa is an active proponent of the Slow Foods movement, whose philosophies include celebrating minimally processed, artisanal foods, and returning the joy and reverence to food preparation. In addition, she is very interested in food education and accessibility. Vanessa strives to change the world, one dinner plate at a time.

Samantha Loveira is an enviable fusion of bookish academia and quirky counter-culture. She obtained a degree in Literature from CSU Northridge and is currently an Indoctrination Specialist (tour guide) at Stone Brewing Company. Samantha is a cook who selects ingredients with care, is not afraid to tackle difficult dishes, and is perfectly capable of executing said meals with a beer or two in hand. Having recently emerged from a vegan lifestyle, she understands both the hidden costs of industrial agriculture and the importance of food politics in contemporary society. Samantha enthusiastically supports the expanding efforts of Southern California craft brewers. She currently lives in San Diego, rides a lilac street bike, drinks local, and possibly has the best-looking bangs in town.